Flutterwave’s Co-founder and former Chief Executive Officer, Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, has explained why he helped to develop and present the digital economy plan of Bola Ahmed Tinubu the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
According to the tech entrepreneur, he did it because of his belief that political engagement is key to nation-building.
Aboyeji also noted that he had, in the past, supported the current opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He stressed that he is not a member of any political party.
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He added that he would not refuse opportunities to engage politicians on policy issues.
His involvement elicited mixed reactions: It was gathered that Aboyeji’s decision to present Tinubu’s tech plan at a meeting with the private sector community on Tuesday met mixed reactions. He was heavily criticized on Twitter, especially by the supporters of the Labour Party’s Presidential candidate, Peter Obi, for aligning himself with the ‘old order’ politicians.
On the other hand, Aboyeji also received support from Tinubu’s camp on Twitter, who argued that he has the right to support any candidate of his choice like every other Nigerian.
Aboyeji defends himself: In his response to the reactions trailing his Tuesday outing, Aboyeji posted a brief explanation on his LinkedIn page. He wrote:
- “It is the political season here in Nigeria! On Tuesday I had the pleasure of speaking about the digital economy plan I and a few others had worked on with members of the Tinubu Shettima campaign for the APC Policy Forum for the Organized Private Sector. On Monday I also had the pleasure of attending a Fintech 1000+ meeting with Peter Obi and other industry leaders in the fintech industry to discuss the Obi Datti plan for Fintech and the digital economy. In the past, I have supported the PDP The Nigerian Alliance to help younger members of the PDP win primary tickets.
- “Although I am not a member of any political party, I’m a huge fan of political engagement as I believe this is critical to building our beloved nation and the digital economy which I am so passionate about. We cannot refuse opportunities to engage politicians on policy issues as they define their platforms and then criticize them when they inevitably make mistakes. I am available to provide policy guidance to politicians on the digital economy as time and opportunity permit me.”
